Maharashtra minister compares attacks on Hindi speakers to Pahalgam terror
Shelar said that the BJP, as the largest party in Maharashtra, would defend both Marathi pride and the safety of non-Marathi residents. 'Marathi is not a political issue for us,' he said, adding that the state was closely watching how some leaders were 'enjoying' attacks on fellow Hindus without naming anyone specifically.Earlier, BJP minister Nitesh Rane had also criticized the targeting of 'Hindus' for not speaking Marathi, while Pratap Sarnaik of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena stated that the MNS had no monopoly over the Marathi language.- EndsMust Watch
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The Hindu
10 minutes ago
- The Hindu
R.G. Kar incident: Police baton-charge protestors; Suvendu alleges victim's parents, BJP MLAs injured
Police baton-charged protestors at the Park Street crossing in central Kolkata during a march to the West Bengal Secretariat Nabanna on Saturday (August 9, 2025) to mark the completion of one year of the brutal rape and murder of an on-duty doctor inside the state-run R.G. Kar hospital. Tension prevailed as protestors tried to breach the barricades in their attempt to head towards the Vidyasagar Setu after ignoring police warnings not to move beyond the Rani Rashmoni Road assembly point. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, alongside BJP leader Agnimitra Paul and other BJP MLAs held a sit-in at the Park Street-J L Nehru Road crossing, while alleging that more than 100 protestors, including Adhikari and other BJP leaders, were injured in police action. Mr. Adhikari also claimed that the parents of the R.G. Kar victim were injured during the lathi charge. 'Mamata Banerjee will pay dearly for this. This protest is only going to get bigger from here,' Mr. Adhikari warned. A section of protestors taking part in a march reached Santragachi in Howrah district on Saturday (August 9, 2025) and attempted to breach the iron wall barricades set up by the city police there. As part of the 'Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan', the protestors raised slogans for justice for the R.G. Kar victim and voiced their resolve to reach the state secretariat, irrespective of the blockades put up by the police. 'The police can fire upon us, but we are determined to reach 'Nabanna', where the state government must answer why justice has not been delivered to Abhaya (R.G. Kar victim) even after one year,' a protestor was heard saying. Amid constant alerts over loudspeakers by the police urging protestors to abide by the Calcutta High Court order to maintain law and order, demonstrators were seen scaling the 10-ft-high barricades in their attempts to breach them. Some agitators were also seen using blunt instruments to break the iron walls and carve openings within them to ensure a cross over. The protestors were seen carrying the Tricolour besides posters and banners demanding justice for the victim and the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Massive police deployments, along with RAF personnel and even water cannons, have been made at all the strategic points where the progress of the agitators is to be halted. The parents of the deceased doctor urged citizens to join the march to Nabanna, while Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, appealed to BJP workers to participate in the procession without any party flag. Mr. Adhikari, accompanied by a section of BJP MLAs, earlier in the day, joined the victim's parents at the Dorina Crossing in Esplanade in central Kolkata sans BJP's banners, flags and other party insignia. 'The Mamata Banerjee administration is fearing this massive crowd which has gathered in protest,' Mr. Adhikari said. Crowds were found swelling at both the assembly points in Howrah and Kolkata, with the state police not allowing the protestors to reach anywhere close to the West Bengal secretariat. 'The police are not cooperating with us despite the high court permitting us to hold a peaceful protest rally,' the father of the victim alleged. 'The police tried to prevent people from reaching the assembly point by stopping their vehicles at various points en route,' he added.
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Time of India
One year of RG Kar incident: Police lathi-charge protestors; Suvendu alleges victim's parents and BJP MLAs injured
(Photo credit: PTI) NEW DELHI: West Bengal Police on Saturday lathi-charged protesters in central Kolkata as they attempted to breach barricades during the 'Nabanna Chalo Abhiyan,' march to the state secretariat. The rally marked the first anniversary of the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College . Protesters waved the Tricolour, carried banners demanding justice for the RG Kar victim, and shouted slogans for the resignation of chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Tension gripped as protesters tried to break through police barricades while marching towards Vidyasagar Setu, defying warnings to remain at the Rani Rashmoni Road assembly point. West Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, BJP leader Agnimitra Paul, and several party MLAs staged a sit-in at the Park Street–J L Nehru Road crossing, alleging that over 100 protesters — including themselves and the RG Kar victim's parents, were injured in the police lathi-charge. "Mamata Banerjee will pay dearly for this. This protest is only going to get bigger from here," Adhikari warned, PTI reported. Despite repeated police appeals over loudspeakers to follow the Calcutta High Court's order and maintain order, protesters were seen scaling 10-foot barricades, using blunt tools to break through iron walls, and forcing openings to move ahead. Heavy police and RAF deployment, along with water cannons, were positioned at key points to block the march. "The police can fire upon us, but we are determined to reach 'Nabanna', where the state government must answer why justice has not been delivered to Abhaya (RG Kar victim) even after one year," a protestor said, the agency added. Earlier, the victim's father alleged that police tried to stop the family from joining the march despite court permission for a peaceful rally. "We had to come dodging police at several points to get here," the father told reporters, terming the obstruction a violation of their rights. The parents had urged the citizens to join the march accusing the authorities of attempting to silence their demand for justice. Adhikari had also urged BJP workers to join the march without party flags, while the family appealed to all citizens to participate. He had declared that the 'Nabanna Abhijan' was not a political event but a call by the murdered doctor's parents. Police, citing a Calcutta High Court order, had earlier designated Santragachi bus stand and Rani Rashmoni Avenue as protest sites. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were enforced near Nabanna, with multi-layer barricades at several crossings. Traffic movement on Howrah Bridge and Vidyasagar Setu over the Hooghly River was halted as part of security measures. The incident traces back to the August 9, 2024, killing of a young doctor, whose body was found in a seminar room at RG Kar Hospital in north Kolkata. Former civic volunteer Sanjay Roy was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment until death in January 2025. The CBI, which took over the probe following court orders, maintained Roy as the sole accused.
News18
34 minutes ago
- News18
'Insulted Hindus': BJP Lashes Out At SP MP For 'Communalising' Uttarkashi Flash Floods
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